An End, Once and For All
by PinkCrayon32
Summary: The events of Mass Effect 3 re-imagined. There will be some similarities, some differences. Based on my personal Shepard, paragon with a dash of renegade.
1. Prologue

Shepard awoke with a start.

As her breath began to settle into a normal rhythm once more, she groaned softly as she became aware of her surroundings. Only moments ago, Shepard had been standing on the surface of Aratoht, a batarian colony planet. At least, it used to be. Shepard remembered herself screaming, yelling at the top of her lungs, trying to warn the Batarians of their impending doom. Neither seen nor heard, Shepard could only watch in horror as the sky became too bright to look at, and the air became too hot to breath.

But then it was gone. A whole planet destroyed in an instant. No, not just a planet, a whole system. Four hundred thousand lives silenced, because of her actions.

Casually tossing her covers aside, Shepard slowly rose out of bed, glancing at the clock on her way up the stairs to the terminal.

_Four thirty._ A common number for her to see when she woke up.

Nightmares had plagued Shepard for many years now, and while they were not exactly a common occurrence, she still felt cheated of her full nights rest whenever they did occur.

_At least there's some variety to them these days._ She thought to herself as she sat down at her desk.

It had been nearly a decade since the Skyllian Blitz. It wasn't guilt she felt, just sorrow. Or anger. Maybe both. For years, that was the event her nightmares had been focused on. Until Kaiden died.

No.

"Until I killed Kaiden." She forced herself to say his name.

_An impossible choice._ _I would have lost a friend either way. _Her thoughts provided her with little comfort.

As she scrolled through her emails, she brought up the Alliance profile for Aratoht on her secondary screen. A mining colony heavily populated near the poles to protect from the scalding heat that engulfed most of the planet. The miners were speculated to be mostly slaves or servants to their batarian overlords. This made little difference to Shepard. An innocent life is an innocent life.

She powered the terminal down and sat in darkness for a few moments, listening to her own breathing. With a soft _click_ the blue light from the fish tank turned on, providing the room with slight illumination. The blue glow combined with the silence reminded her of Alchera, another unpleasant memory. When her nightmares were at their worst, Shepard would be forced to live through her final moments, floating helplessly above the beautiful blue planet, gasping for air as consciousness slowly faded. She shuddered at the thought.

Swivelling in her chair, Shepard faced the dark picture frame in front of her. As she moved her hand close, the picture sprung to life, bringing a weary smile to Shepards face.

"Hey you." She said gently.

The picture did not respond.

"All of this, is just a little easier knowing you're out there waiting for me." As Shepard moved her hand away, the blue dim from the photo ceased to exist, and was replaced by blackness.

Rising to her feet, Shepard yawned loudly. It seemed like a fool's errand to try and go back to sleep now. Might as well hit the shower, get an early start. Today was going to be a long day.


	2. Chapter 1

"Commander," EDI's electronic voice rang through the cabin. "Dr. T'soni is attempting to contact you, shall I connect?"

"Of course EDI." Shepard responded with a smile.

"Connecting you now."

Turning to her monitor, Shepard was greeted by another smiling face.

"Shepard, it's good to see you." said Liara.

Shepard took a moment to examine the Shadow Broker's face before responding. Her skin was just as she remembered, a deep blue, with dark freckles dancing across her face. But the highlight of the asari's entire body were her eyes. Shepard could easily get lost in those exquisite blue eyes for eternity...

"Shepard!" barked Liara. "It's rude to stare you know." her dark lips fighting to stay neutral.

Shepard smiled and rolled her eyes. "You hide flattery much better than you used to, Dr. T'soni."

"And your compliments have gotten progressively less endearing, Commander." finally letting her smile shine through. "How are you doing Shepard?"

"Fine." she lied.

Liara raised an eyebrow. "Nightmares again?"

"I can't hide anything from the Shadow Broker can I?" Shepard pouted.

"It doesn't take a Shadow Broker to see something's wrong." Liara pointed out.

Shepard began to pace around her office, running a hand through her dark auburn hair. "They're becoming more frequent." she said worriedly. "I really need to get out of the habit of committing atrocities. At this rate..."

"Shepard..." Liara softly interjected. "We both know these things needed to be done. If the alpha relay had not been destroyed the Reapers may very well have already killed us all."

Shepard furrowed her brow.

"And Kaiden would certainly not want you to suffer for the choice you had to make on Virmire."

"That doesn't mean I don't feel terrible about the things I've done." said Shepard.

"I know," responded Liara. "but right now we need to focus on the future, which is why I'm calling..."

"Oh?" Shepard tried her best to sound indignant. "So you didn't just call to see my pretty face, to hear my golden voice?"

"Unfortunately not." said Liara with a small smile. "Since the... incident with the alpha relay, I have been in contact with Admiral Hackett several times. It appears at least someone is taking the Reaper threat a little more seriously."

"Yeah, he seemed particularly troubled after our chat about the Bahak System." recalled Shepard.

"He has asked me to use my resources as the Shadow Broker to help find a way to stop the Reapers."

"And what exactly are you looking for?" Shepard asked quizzically, settling herself down in her chair.

Liara turned away from the camera, presumably to her wall of monitors. "I have dispatched as many agents as I can spare to systems known to have accessible Prothean technology."

"Do you really think the Protheans have the answers we're looking for?" Shepard pondered tentatively. "They were completely wiped out after all..."

"The beacons the Protheans left behind were meant to function as a warning to the species of our cycle, if only we can find an undamaged beacon or additional records, perhaps..." Liara's voice trailed off as she turned back to face Shepard.

"Don't worry Liara, we'll find a way to stop them." said Shepard.

"I hope you're right Shepard." Liara said sadly.

"We haven't come this far to fail now." Shepard swiveled uncomfortably in her chair. She didn't like seeing Liara look so... helpless. "I'll tell you what, why don't I come visit in a couple days, after I'm done clearing the Normandy?"

"Clearing the Normandy?" inquired Liara. "What do you mean?"

Shepard sat silently for a moment. "I'm turning myself in to the Alliance Liara."

"What? Not now Shepard, there is too much to do, we must prepare for the Reapers!"

"It can't wait any longer Liara, the batarians are demanding blood, and the Alliance has to do something to placate them to avoid an all out war."

Liara thought for a moment. "Yes, I suppose that is the last thing we need with the Reapers on our doorstep. But when will we be able to see each other?"

"That's why I suggested a visit, preferably conjugal." she said with a smirk.

"I would like that very much Shepard. Unfortunately, I believe it would be unsafe for you to visit here."

Shepard straightened up in her chair. "Why? Has something happened?"

"Not yet." Liara replied. "But my sources say that Cerberus is looking for me, for the Shadow Broker. I have some time to prepare for their arrival, but it is unclear how much."

"Then let me come get you, we can give them the slip together!"

"I'm afraid I can't risk that Shepard. Cerberus is quickly narrowing down my location, if you are detected, you will lead them right to me. I need to keep the Broker's network online for as long as possible if I am to help find a way to stop the Reapers. Once I am done here however, we may be able to visit. Where will the Alliance take you?"

"Arcturus Station most likely, at least for the trial." Shepard sighed heavily. "After that... who knows. They might send me back to Earth, but a more likely scenario is that they send me off to a remote prison world, or even a prison station."

"You know they won't do that Shepard." Liara said lightly. "You have done so many great things for humanity... I'm sure they will understand."

"I'm more worried about the Reapers. With Hackett on our side, my voice may have had more pull with the Admiralty Board, but with what happened to the Bahak System..." Shepard's voice trailed off, her eyes looking to far away places

Not knowing what more she could say to comfort her lover, Liara tried to change the subject. "Tell me Shepard, what's this about clearing the Normandy?"

Shepard looked up from her thousand yard stare. "Yeah, I'm giving everyone aboard the ship an opportunity to disembark before I turn myself in. We'll be hitting Omega, Illium, the Citadel... we may even make a quick stop in Geth space, let Legion take one of the shuttles back to... wherever it's from."

"That is very generous of you Shepard." said Liara, still unable to grasp the concept of a non hostile Geth.

"It's the least I can do, I doubt the Alliance would let a number of known Cerberus agents go free if they board the ship, let alone an active Geth."

Liara nodded silently. "Will everyone be disembarking? I have a very horrific image in my head of you trying to fly the Normandy on your own."

"Horrific?" exclaimed Shepard. "You of all people should know how excellent of a pilot I am!"

"Excellent is almost the exact opposite of the word I would use to describe your piloting abilities." Liara teased.

Shepard rolled her eyes. "Well no, miss smart ass, I will not be alone. Joker and some of the crew will be staying aboard, so I will not be taking the helm."

A snickering voice echoed in Shepard's cabin. "Don't worry Liara, I'll make sure she gets into the chains of the Alliance safely."

"Spying on us again Joker?" said an annoyed Shepard as Liara chuckled on the other end of the line.

"Not at all ma'am. Just wanted to let you know we're a few minutes out from Omega." said Joker as innocently as possible.

"Understood. I'll be right down." Shepard looked at Liara with an exaggerated pout on her face. "I should go." she said reluctantly.

Liara smiled sadly at her. "I understand Shepard. I wish I could be there with you, help you through this..."

"Me too." said Shepard softly. "But what you're doing is much more important. I just hope we get to see each other before circumstances prevent it."

"We will Shepard." said Liara, almost sternly. "I promise."

"I'll hold you to that, beautiful." Shepard smiled at Liara one last time. "Liara..." Shepard started.

Liara smiled back at Shepard. "Yes Shepard?"

"I uh... I lo-" She quickly stopped herself. "I'll, uh, see you soon, okay?"

Liara blushed slightly. "Okay Shepard, see you soon."

The screen went dark and Shepard was left alone in her cabin.

Shaking her head, Shepard made her way to the elevator. "Dammit Shepard, don't be such a pussy." she muttered to herself.


End file.
